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What’s interesting about this passing is: he wasn’t a political leader, he wasn’t a cultural leader, he wasn’t a spiritual leader, and he wasn’t a pop star. He was a thought leader. And an unmitigated capitalist.

Which is pretty great actually. For once, the world mourns a nerd. An innovator, an inventor, a predictor, and a gadget-maker.

If he had died 1 years ago, he would have been a blurb at the end of a news day. Yes, there are many of us who dearly love the Mac. (As I’m fond of saying, this Mick wouldn’t have a job if Jobs hadn’t created the Mac.) But we Mac enthusiasts are in the minority. His best innovations happened late in life. iPod, iPhone, iPad. And they kicked off the 21st Century.

The day of his passing, I had my head buried in work. It wasn’t until I was driving home in the wee hours of the morning that I listened to this message from my eldest son, who just turned 11:

One die million weeps, Million died no one weeps

First of all, let me say that I’m a big fan of achievement, and Steve Jobs was one big achiever, but I’m wondering about the funny fact that I experienced in the past few days when millions of people across the world sorrowed only one man, just because he invented an iPod or an iPhone.

At least he died rich, I mean he didn’t starve to death like hundreds of people in Somalia or Sudan. And still to this moment tens of people dies per day from hunger!!

Can you imagine that? from HUNGER !!

And I bet a lot of those people would accomplish a lot in their lives just like Steve Jobs, but of-course they have to eat first so that they can live!!

Well, inasmuch as I sympathize

Whether you think Jobs deserved last week’s general obsession with his life and death is ultimately irrelevant because it doesn’t do him any good. In fact, I’m of the opinion he’s altogether unaware of it. The dude’s dead.

Like any funeral, it’s intended for the living.

As for those poor starving people, I’m such an asshole that I couldn’t tell you the name of a single one of them.

I guess that’s celebrity for you.

As a human being

I wasn’t trying to criticize you or anyone else if that’s the case. I was simply trying to pop up some of the irony that we experience every day. As humans we all like shiny things - me included - which makes us neglect a lot of other important matters.

Actually the mockery in your reply about the poor people is in fact a good representation for the irony I’m trying to clarify.

Dude, I insanely hear you

In fact, I was initially thinking something similar. When folks were tweeting their blank twits, I was like really? The guy was an Edison, not an Einstein. He invented by force of will, not contemplative ingenuity. And from what I can gather from the folks I know who worked for him, he was caustic (if clever) to those on the sliding scale.

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Deke McClelland

Self-appointed expert on all things graphics and imaging, here to answer your questions and serve your needs. More dekeBio here.